Chronology
by sapphireswimming
Summary: In which the stranger knows him better than he knows himself. And everything comes full circle.


**Prompt by Dash (the Cinderninja). The fic is based upon a story I've never read, but heard about from a friend. Don't know what it's called, or I would give credit where credit is due. And actually read the thing.**

* * *

**Chronology (Anachronism)**

December 9, 2012

* * *

Danny was sitting on the bridge over the small creek that ran through the Amity Park Park. Technically, the area closed at sundown, so most people had already left. But Danny had no trouble remaining invisible until anyone who might tell him to leave had gone themselves. And then he was left with the wide open area to himself.

So he dangled his legs over the edge, just above the water, and stared at the liquid rushing over smooth rocks.

He didn't want to go home yet.

It had been a rough day. Heck, it had been a rough week. Or month. Year? Come to think about it, it had been a long time since things had really gone well.

Sighing, he flopped backward at looked up at the darkening sky.

Why was everything so difficult? Why couldn't anything go right for him?

Why was being a secretly half ghost superhero so hard?

Hearing footsteps on the other side of the wooden bridge, Danny started, scared that he was going to be called out by the police or park rangers or whoever actually enforced the dusk curfew. He was tense, ready to bolt if this began to look like trouble. He really didn't need any more of that right now.

The man coming toward him wasn't in uniform, however, and greeted him with a "Hello there," before sitting down a few feet away.

"Hey," Danny returned warily, not knowing what to make of the dark haired stranger.

"It's a nice night," the man offered after a while.

Danny made a noise. It hadn't been nice for him, but he didn't need to dump his doom and gloom on someone he didn't know.

The man chucked, understanding.

"It's a nice spot you've picked out here," he offered again after a longer pause.

"Yeah," Danny sighed, finally caving into the conversation. "It is nice. There's a good view."

"The park is relaxing when no one else is around," the man noted, beginning to swing his legs over the water. "You've got the trees and the grass and the stars above you and the water below and you can just sit with your own thoughts."

Danny laid back on the bridge, head pillowed by his hands. "Sometimes it isn't the best thing, to be left alone with your own thoughts."

The man looked over at him, lips pursed and brow furrowed, for a moment. Then he nodded. "That's true," he agreed. "That's very true. Sometimes we get lost in thoughts that aren't really ours."

Danny quirked an eyebrow. "How on earth could that happen?" he asked the man. "Your thoughts are your thoughts."

"They aren't always, deep down. Often, we've listened to them so much that we think they are. Even when they're things that we would never normally think."

"Really?" Danny's interest was piqued. "Like what?"

The man was quiet for a moment, before saying, "Like we've failed. Like we are failures because we have made one mistake. And then another. And they led to horrible consequences. Like because we haven't been perfect until now, we should stop trying to be because it isn't worth the agony."

He fell into a tense silence, as if he too had to pull himself out of his thoughts and back into reality. As if there was much more he could have continued to say, but knew that he needed to stop.

Danny stared at the man in some state of shock. What the stranger had said was practically a play by play of what had been running through his mind for the past several weeks. Hearing it from someone else was like having water dumped all over him.

The man took a deep breath to steady himself. "And when that's the case," he said firmly, "the only thing that can be done is to stop. That's the worst time to be left alone with your thoughts. Because that's not you."

He looked over at Danny with an odd smile on his face. "So while it's nice to spend some time in a place like this, sometimes the best thing for you is to get some sense talked into you by someone you don't even know. And who doesn't have a clue what your problems could be."

The stranger laughed a bit. "It's odd like that. Sometimes strangers seem to understand your problems better than your closest friends. Ironic, isn't it?"

Danny let out a shaky chuckle. The man had really hit home. "Yeah," he drew out, "that's really weird. You know that from experience?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. There was this one time, when I was around your age. It was… it was a bad time for me. And then this guy told me exactly what I needed to hear. I'd never met him before and never saw him again. But, well, sorry, you don't want to be hearing about my life story."

"No, that's okay," Danny protested. "What you said really made sense. And I think it was something I needed to hear. You really slapped some sense into me. My friends have been trying for a while, but maybe I just had to hear it from someone else. Thanks, dude," Danny said as he slowly stood up and stretched. "But I've got to be getting home now."

"Good luck with everything," the man said with a wave.

"Thanks," Danny said as he headed off.

* * *

Thinking back over the years, that may have been the best piece of advice he'd ever heard. Spectra had been getting into his head. So had every other ghost and ignorant classmate he came across. But that chance encounter had shown him what was happening in his mind and gave him the ability to step back and see what was one of his thoughts and what was one of his enemy's taunts, taken and twisted until he thought it was a truth.

He never saw the man again, never knew who he was. Sometimes he wondered if it was someone Clockwork sent to him to steer his life onto the better path. He would never know for sure, but that bridge in the park had become his sanctuary whenever he needed a moment by himself.

Danny found himself drawn to it again tonight, only to see that he wasn't alone. There was another truant ignoring the park's closing time.

A black haired boy in jeans and a t-shirt, moodily staring into the water, looked up, startled, as he approached.

"Err, hello there…" Danny greeted the figure.

"Hey," the boy responded warily.

* * *

**Because none of you saw THAT coming.**


End file.
